Commercial vehicle registrations increased across the European Union during the first half of 2026, with battery-electric trucks and buses continuing to gain market share despite ongoing challenges to wider adoption, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA).
ACEA reported that 171,933 new trucks and 22,590 buses were registered across the EU between January and June, representing year-over-year growth of 9.8% for trucks and 22.7% for buses.
The association attributed the increase in truck registrations to a recovery from a weaker first half of 2025, while demand for buses remained strong. However, ACEA said the transition to zero-emission commercial vehicles continues to be slowed by limited charging infrastructure and other structural barriers, particularly in the heavier vehicle segments.
“Electrically-chargeable vehicles continued to gain market share, but uptake remains below the required pace, constrained by insufficient enabling conditions, notably in the heavier vehicle segments,” ACEA said.
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Demand was led by heavy-duty trucks, with registrations increasing 11.1% year over year, while medium-duty truck registrations rose 2.8%.
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Diesel remained the dominant powertrain, accounting for 92.1% of all newly registered trucks in the European Union. Diesel truck registrations increased 9.3% compared with the same period last year.
Battery-electric truck registrations, grouped by ACEA under electrically chargeable vehicles, rose 47.7%, increasing their market share from 3.6% to 4.8%. Although electric trucks still represent fewer than one in twenty new registrations, they significantly outperformed overall market growth.
Germany recorded the strongest increase among the largest markets, with electric truck registrations climbing 88.5%. The Netherlands followed with growth of 44.5%, while France posted a 43.7% increase. Together, the three countries accounted for 74% of all electrically chargeable truck registrations across the European Union during the reporting period.
Across the broader truck market, Poland led growth among major markets with a 25.9% increase in registrations, followed by Spain at 13.2% and Germany at 7.1%. Registrations in France remained largely unchanged from the first half of 2025.
Electric Buses Expand Market Share
The bus segment continued to lead the transition toward zero-emission commercial transport.
Registrations of electrically chargeable buses increased 56.8% year over year, raising their share of the market from 21.6% to 27.7%. More than one in four newly registered buses in the European Union is now electrically chargeable.
Italy played a significant role in the expansion, with registrations of electrically chargeable buses more than quadrupling compared with the previous year. The country also became the EU’s largest bus market after total bus registrations increased 51.6%.
Germany and France each recorded overall bus market growth of 21.6%, while Poland posted the strongest increase at 78.0%, making it the European Union’s fourth-largest bus market. Spain was the only major market to record a decline, with bus registrations falling 8.5%.
Despite the rapid growth of electric buses, diesel remained the leading powertrain, accounting for 58.2% of new bus registrations after increasing 11% year over year. Hybrid-electric buses also expanded, with registrations rising 10.7% to capture a 6.1% market share.
ACEA said the latest figures demonstrate uneven progress in the electrification of Europe’s commercial vehicle sector. While battery-electric buses are approaching one-third of the market, electric truck adoption remains relatively limited, prompting the association to call for stronger policy support and enabling infrastructure to accelerate the transition to zero-emission freight and passenger transport.
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